Klinik was selected for the Young Innovative Company funding programme after a strict screening process. The funding gives an extra boost to the company’s internationalisation efforts, which are already well under way.

Klinik’s conquest of new international markets has caught strong wind in its sails. The company has been selected for Business Finland’s Young Innovative Company (YIC) programme, from which start-up companies seeking international growth can apply for funding for international business development.

“We will invest in boosting international growth in marketing, product development, and other areas of business”

“This is a highly sought-after programme for which only a select few qualify. Eligible companies should demonstrate ambitious objectives of internationalisation. To us, the selection tells that we have been officially recognised as one of a group of companies with strong international growth potential”, says the Klinik´s CEO, Hannu Nissinen.

The funding amounts to €1.25 million, and, according to Nissinen, all of it will be used to promote business growth abroad.

“We will invest in boosting international growth in marketing, product development, and other areas of business”, says Nissinen.

The head of sales at Klinik, Jari Hänninen, believes that Klinik’s selection for YIC funding is because of the company’s scalable product, which is in great demand around the world, and because the service is already being widely used in Finland.

“Referral to treatment is a challenge in any country. There is a market for a digital solution such as ours, and we have proof of its effectiveness”, says Hänninen.

High demand abroad

According to Hänninen, Klinik has been actively working to enter markets outside Finland since the beginning of the year. So far, the company has gained the greatest foothold in the United Kingdom, Sweden and Germany.

“It is great that the financiers see our potential in the same way that we ourselves do”

“We want to be a major player in digitalisation and the facilitation of patients’ referral to treatment in the international market, too. Currently, there is more demand for our services abroad than we can actually deliver”, says Hänninen.

YIC funding, says Hänninen, is a good addition to the company’s positive foreign trade.

“It is great that the financiers see our potential in the same way that we ourselves do”, says Hänninen.

The Young Innovative Company funding by Business Finland (formerly Tekes) has been granted to promising start-ups since 2008. The selected companies should have a scalable business model and capacity for international growth. Furthermore, the selected companies should be able to provide evidence of promising business activities and paying customers. So far, 361 companies have been granted funding from the YIC programme.